NJ’s senators: Bush, Chertoff are ‘wrong’

[ProSense]

April 19, 2006

NJ’s senators: Bush, Chertoff are ‘wrong’

Menendez, Lautenberg rip president, cabinet, at press conference

By Kevin Canessa Jr.
The Observer



U. S. Sens. Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg had a press conference last week in Jersey City, with South Kearny in the backdrop, to tout their new bill that calls for new regulations at the nation’s chemical plants. In photo with the senators is Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise
Photo By Kevin Canessa Jr.

JERSEY CITY — New Jersey’s two senators were in the area April 12, touting their proposed bill that would make security at the nation’s chemical plants much tighter.

Sen. Robert Menendez and Sen. Frank Lautenberg had a press conference on the banks of the Hackensack River — with South Kearny’s industrial plants serving as a backdrop — at which they blasted President George W. Bush and his administration for supporting a proposed bill that would allow chemical plants to self-patrol.

“It is absolutely mystifying with all the talk of the need to protect our families that this administration would allow this nation’s most inviting terrorist target — to go poorly protected,” Lautenberg said. “There are 140,000 men and women protecting this nation as they fight in Iraq. The war is going to cost us an estimated one-half trillion dollars. When it comes to protecting us internationally, you can’t put it past this administration for a second. But when it comes to protecting our own land, it’s a totally different story.”

Lautenberg says he believes New Jersey resident and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff understands the great danger of a potential attack on Port Newark, Port Elizabeth, Newark Airport or South Kearny, but he feels he’s too in tuned with the desires of the president and his administration to clearly see what the people of this area really need.

Lautenberg was specifically critical of the Bush plan that would, in effect, take away the right for states to make chemical plant security tougher than federal standards on a state-by-state basis

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